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J. R. WILLIAMSON 88 W. w. HIGKIES.

APPARATUS FORBXAMINING ORBS A No. 380,842. I Patented A r. 10, 1888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @F'FMEO JOHN R. WILLIAMSON, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON TERRITORY, AND WIL- LIAM W. HIOKIES, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

APPARATUS FOR EXAMINING ORES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380,842, dated April 10, 1888.

Application filed March 1, 1887. Serial No. 229,346.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN R. WILLIAM- soN, of Seattle, in the county of King, Washington Territory, and WILLIAM W. Hrcxrns, of Oakland, in the county of Alameda, and the State of California, have invented a new and Improved Apparatus for Examining Ores, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming a part thereof, in which- Figure 1 represents an apparatus slightly modified for examining rocks in situ, and Fig. 2 shows an apparatus slightly modified for examining detached portions of rock.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both views.

The object of our invention is to provide an apparatus for examining rocks to determine whether they contain metallic ores.

Our invention consists in the combination of a battery, a magneto-electric telephone'receiver connected with the battery, and wire conductors attached to the telephone and bat tery.

1n carrying out our invention we connect with one pole of the battery A one terminal of a magneto electric telephone-receiver, B, of the usual description, by means of a wire, a. The remaining pole of the battery is connected by a conductor, 0, with a brush, D, provided with a suitable handle, as shown in Fig. 1, or with a metallic plate, E, as shown in Fig. 2. The remaining terminal of the telephone-receiver B is connected by'a flexible conductor, 0, with abrush, D, provided with a suitable handle.

When our improved apparatus is used in examining rocks in site, the two brushes D D, forming the terminals of the conductors connected with the telephone and battery, are drawn along upon the face of the rock, while the telephone B is held to the car of the operator. duct the current, and the movements of the If the rocks contain metals, they con-' (No model.)

brushes along the rough face of the rock produce variations in the current flowing through the circuit, which cause the diaphragm of the telephone to vibrate and produce audible sounds; but when the rock contains no minerals it is practically an insulator, and no sounds are heard in the telephone.

In examining detached portions of rock the operation is similar to that just described.

By touching the rock placed upon a conducting-plate, E, with the brush D, it may be determined whether the rock contains metals or metallic ores by listening to the telephone, as before. If the rock contains metal or metallic ores, sounds will be heard in the telephone; but if it contains no metal no sound will be produced.

It is obvious that instead of employing the conducting-plate E, in connection with one of the brushes, we may place the fragments of rock to be examined upon a bed of insulating material and touch each specimen with the two brushes D D.

We do not limit or confine ourselves to the employment of the ordinary telephone-receiver, as we may employ any electric translating device which will indicate the passage of the current. For example, the operator may place the conductors on his tongue, and the passage of the current due to the completion of the circuit by a metallic ore will be noticed by the sensations produced by the current upon his tongue; or, we may employ the electrochemical method, placing between the terminals of the conductor a paper saturated with moist salt, which will be decomposed by the passage of the current, producing visible marks on the paper, or we may employ an ordinary galvanometer.

1 Although we have described these various ways of determining whether the circuit is complete and the current is flowing, we prefer to use atelephone-receiver, as it is portable, easily managed, and effective.

Having thus fully described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. An apparatus for examining ores, consisting in the battery, the wire 0, connected to one terminal thereof and having a metallic brush, D, the wire a, connected to the other terminal, the telephonereceiver B, connected to the wire a, and having a wire, 0, provided with a metallic brush, D, substantially as set forth.

2. In an apparatus for examining ores, electric conductors, the terminals of which are 

